Contents

History

Vaduz is said to be mentioned in historic 12th century
manuscripts as Farduzes. It is however commonly believed to have
been founded in the thirteenth century by the Counts of Werdenberg.
In 1322 a mention of the castle is made, which was sacked by the Swiss in 1499.

In the 17th century the Liechtenstein family
was seeking a seat in the Imperial diet, the Reichstag. However, since
they did not hold any territory that was directly under the
Imperial throne, they were unable to meet the primary requirement
to qualify.

The family yearned for the added power a seat in the Imperial
government would bring, and therefore sought to acquire lands that
would be Reichsunmittelbar, or held without any
feudal personage other than the Holy Roman Emperor himself having
rights on the land. After some time, the family was able to arrange
the purchase of the minuscule Herrschaft ("Lordship") of
Schellenberg and
countship of Vaduz (in 1699 and 1712 respectively) from the
Hohenems. Tiny Schellenberg and Vaduz possessed exactly the
political status required; no feudal lord other than their comital sovereign and the suzerain Emperor.

Thereby, on January 23, 1719, after purchase had been duly made,
Charles VI, Holy Roman
Emperor, decreed Vaduz and Schellenberg were united, and raised
to the dignity of Fürstentum (principality) with the name
"Liechtenstein" in honour of "[his] true servant, Anton
Florian of Liechtenstein". It is on this date that
Liechtenstein became a sovereign member state of the Holy Roman
Empire. As a testament to the pure political expediency of the
purchases, the Princes of Liechtenstein did not set foot in their
new principality for over 120 years.

Landmarks

The most prominent landmark of Vaduz is the Vaduz Castle, the
home of the reigning prince of Liechtenstein and the Liechtenstein princely
family. The castle is visible from almost any location in
Vaduz, being perched atop a steep hill in the middle of the city.
The Cathedral of
St. Florin, Government House and City Hall are also well-known
landmarks, displaying the various styles and periods of
architecture that the city is known for.

Economy
and transport

Vaduz has a lively tourist industry, despite being one of the
very few capital cities in the world without an airport or railway
station.

The closest railway station is Schaan–Vaduz located around
2 km from the city centre in the town of Schaan. However, very few trains stop here
except for a local service between Buchs in Switzerland and Feldkirch in Austria. There are
extremely frequent bus connections between nearby mainline railway
stations including Buchs, Sargans, and Feldkirch, operated by Liechtenstein
Bus.

Culture and
sports

The National Art Gallery as well as the National Museum are
located in Vaduz. The art gallery (Kunstmuseum Liechtenstein) is
a museum of modern and contemporary art. The building is an
architectural landmark built by the Swiss architects Morger, Degelo
and Kerez. It was completed in November 2000 and forms a “black
box” of tinted concrete and black basalt stone. The museum
collection is also the national art collection of Liechtenstein.
The Liechtenstein National Museum is showing a permanent
exhibition on the cultural and natural history of Liechtenstein as
well as special exhibitions. There are also the Postage Stamp
Museum and a Ski Museum.

From Wikitravel

Contents

Vaduz is the capital city of Liechtenstein and
has a population of 5,005.

Understand

Vaduz is the capital of Liechtenstein, but not its largest city:
Schaan is slightly larger.
Still, it's home to the Prince's castle and his museums, and thus
the main point of interest for visitors to this small country which
is a shame because it is a rather disappointing hodge-podge of
unattractive modern buildings, cranes and farmland. It may
technically be a European capital but it is unlikely to interest a
tourist for any length of time.

Get in

The fastest way to get into the town of Vaduz is to get a train
from Zurich to Sargans, then
catch a bus to Vaduz. An alternative way is to catch a train from
Buchs to Schaan, then catch a
bus to Vaduz. You can also drive a car into the town - which is
well marked beforehand.

Get Around

Vaduz is very small and walking around the city and the areas
around it will not take very long.

The best way to move around Liechtenstein is by car. It takes
little more than half an hour to drive from one end to the
other.

See

The Art Museum 'KunstMuseum' has an interesting collection on
the ground floor and in the style of Tate Modern has a changing
modern exhibition on the first floor.

The Prince's Wine Collection is available to view by a vineyard
on the Northern edge of Vaduz. This is a 5 minute walk from the
central square.

Excellent views of the surrounding area can be gained by taking
the short walk up to the Castle which hangs above Vaduz. The walk
is gentle and goes up the sdie of the hill and through the woods
and emerges at the side entrance to the Castle. It is not posible
to enter the grounds of the castle, but walking around the
perimiter is fine. In winter it can be very slippery, so if
visiting at this time it is best to wear suitable footware to avoid
accidents.

A short walk towards the river will offer visitors the chance to
experience some great views of the mountains surrounding the city.
The old covered bridge which spans the Rhine river provides an
interesting way to cross the border between Liechtenstein and
Switzerland. The unpainted, weathered wooden bridge is rustic in
appearance. It accommodates foot or bicycle traffic only, cars are
prevented from approaching. Drives may find it tricky to pull-off.
Cars on this road are headed to the Swiss Autobahn, a few hundred
meters across the river directly west of the bridge. Please use
care, these motorists may not tolerate the casual traveller on a
busy road. There is no means to access the bridge from the west by
car. The road that would appear to lead to the western end of the
bridge is the aforementioned Swiss Autobahn.

From the centre of Vaduz follow Zollstrasse (towards the
football stadium) until you reach the River. There are no border
checks.

Do

Buy

The main shops in Vaduz sell tourist trinkets all branded in
Liechtensteinian and Swiss colours. There are plenty of flags,
t-shirts and cuckoo clocks available. People who enjoy collecting
passport stamps are able to get an official Liechtenstein Tourist
Office stamp at the Tourist Information office. The cost was 2
Swiss Franc (CHF) or €3 in September 2009. This is especially
unique as there are no border crossings at either of Liechtensteins
frontiers. Postal Stamps and postcards can be bought at the post
office opposite the tourist office as well as most other shops.

There is also a small retail village between Vaduz and Balzers.
This is home to a McDonalds, and a sports clothes shop among other
things.

Eat

The main square is behind the bus station in the midle of Vaduz.
There are a number of cafes and restaurants offering hearty
Liechtensteinian / Swiss / Austrian fare at reasonable prices.

Old Castle Inn, Aeulestrasse 22, ☎+423 232 10 65. In the centre of Vaduz. It is impossible to
miss and offers authentic food at a reasonable price and with a
pleasant atmosphere.edit

Drink

go to the prince's vineyard...

Sleep

Frankly, you'd be mad to spend the night in Vaduz when you could
ascend into the mountains and enjoy the breath-taking views from
places such as Treisenberg or Malbun.

Get out

Links to the A13 motorway in Switzerland (which runs alongside
the border) are clearly signposted.

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